Today we’d like to introduce you to Tracy Timm.
Tracy, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I was born and raised in the suburbs of Dallas, TX and was by all accounts, a massive over-achiever and “box-checker” from day one. Got all A’s. Made 1st chair in music. Started Varsity athletics. You name it. All because that’s what I thought I was “supposed” to do. My dedication to softball led to being recruited and attending Yale University. Yale was the first time I started exploring what I really enjoyed doing, which is how I discovered my love for psychology. But Yale is also the kind of place that encourages students to leave on (what I call) “career conveyor belts”– predetermined paths that lead to things like management consulting or the Peace Corps. I took a job working on Wall Street despite knowing nothing about finance. Two-and-a-half years later, I was comfortably miserable. I dreaded work every day but was so worn out at the end of a day full of pretending that I wasn’t doing anything to change my situation.
At the height of my misery, I quit my job and decided to explore the world and find myself again by enrolling in Semester at Sea. Through that study-abroad program, I was able to be inspired by other young adults, encouraged by amazing mentors, and educated by best-in-class business professionals. I returned to the US with a commitment to work “with people, on people” even though I didn’t know quite what that meant. I spent over a year struggling with this calling, only to find myself back in yet another dead end corporate job only because it felt “safe”. Once that job didn’t work out (and boy do I mean quickly!), I realized that I needed to take a real, meaningful step into this calling and start my own business. I began working with young professionals and helping them find clarity and make better career decisions, which is my true passion. Along the way, I’ve also worked with companies as a human capital advisor — helping organizations make better people decisions. Today, I’m the owner of Tracy TImm, LLC and the founder of The Nth Degree Academy — the only comprehensive, step-by-step program that delivers young professionals the clarity, confidence, and tools they need to take their careers from stuck to unstoppable.
Has it been a smooth road?
Oh goodness, no. Life is anything but a smooth road. Let’s just bullet a couple of these struggles:
1. Moving 2000 miles from home to school.
2. Quitting a lifelong sport (softball) which disappointed everyone around me.
3. Working at a job I hated for over 2 years.
4. Quitting that job without a plan (cue terror).
5. Spending every cent I had traveling the world to (hopefully) “find myself” (good thing this worked out…).
6. Cobbling together a life working remotely while waiting tables, working retail, and freelancing (at 27, with a Yale degree, mind you).
7. Taking a job I didn’t want (except for the healthcare) only to get fired 3 months later (talk about humbling).
8. Daily struggles to maintain the dedication necessary to make my vision a reality.
9. Finally reaching entrepreneurial comfort only to lose my dad to stage-four lung cancer.
I’ll never forget being 25 (or 22 for that matter!) and feeling like I was so “behind” in my life. Here’s the secret to life — there is no behind. There will always be people “ahead” of you, but there will also be people who WISH they had whatever small amounts of clarity or security you have. The key is to celebrate the small wins along the way. That’s what it means to “embrace the journey, not the destination”. I think that’s nearly impossible to do unless you set “baby destinations” along the way and give yourself a much-needed pat on the back each time you reach them.
You have what everyone else wants — time. If I had a dime for every person I’ve talked to in their 40’s and 50’s who’s told me “I wish I had done what you’re doing” or “I hate my job, but I just can’t change now”, I’d be much wealthier than I am today. If you know what passions or your purposes are, follow it. If you don’t know what they are, then find them. And, realize that you don’t just have ONE passion. That’s crazy! And you don’t just have ONE purpose. Your passions and purposes in life will change as you grow and evolve. Once you realize that, you’re freed from the pressure to “get life right” and you can start to explore your options with more openness and clarity.
We’d love to hear more about Tracy Timm.
I am a quarter-life career coach, organizational people-advisor, speaker, podcaster, and author. I’ve often struggled with the fact that there’s no “neat” name that encapsulates all of these titles. But, at the end of the day, I’m an expert in career clarity– I help my clients figure out what they want to do, why they want to do it, and how to get it. That’s it. In the past, I’ve done this through individual coaching for young professionals and consulting for companies. Last year, I trademarked career coaching methodology and turned that method into a digital course called The Nth Degree Academy Online. The purpose of the course is to give young professionals the clarity, confidence, and contraptions they need to take their careers from stuck to unstoppable. I absolutely love my work. You wouldn’t believe how it feels to meet someone who’s crying multiple times per week after work, then, only 8 weeks later, hear hope and thrill in their voice as they describe the job offers they’ve received and personal clarity they have. I’m most proud, personally, of creating the course. But professionally, I’m most proud of the impact I’ve been able to make in people’s lives. I’m extremely good at what I do because I’ve lived every step of what I teach AND I LOVE my work.
Which women have inspired you in your life?
#1 my mom. She’s the ultimate source of my life and inspiration. There aren’t enough words in the English language (and trust me, there are a lot) to describe the impact she’s had on my life and my business. She’s never left my side, never stopped supporting me, and never stopped trying to by my mom and my best friend. Her ability to put others first, to always keep learning, and to find solutions where others find problems are continually inspiring.
My elementary school LEAP teacher, Mrs. Taylor. She was the first person to nurture my inner “nerd” and give me an outlet for my creativity and intelligence. She was always such a light and her ability to nurture young minds was incredibly humbling.
The woman I worked for in college as a research assistant, Ali Crum. Ali had an undergrad degree from Harvard, was finishing her Ph.D. at Yale, then went on to get her post-doc at Columbia and is now a professor at Stanford. But when we met, Ali was so approachable and willing to teach. She nurtured my interest in psychology and continued to be an amazing friend even after graduation. She helped me figure out my calling, and for that, I am forever grateful. I’ll always be inspired by her constant search for truth and learning.
Cathy Rogers at IBM. We met on Semester at Sea and she was the first person to mirror to me that you can love your work and live your purpose at the same time. She even had side-hustles (like a tree-planting farm in Kenya) that fulfilled her various passions. Her dynamism and zest for life will always be inspiring.
Pricing:
- Individual career clarity coaching: 2x/month meetings, one hour each, $600
- Individual career clarity coaching: 4x/month meetings, one hour each, $1000
- The Nth Degree Academy Online (next enrollment Aug 2018): $1497
Contact Info:
- Address: 1920 McKinney Ave 7th Floor
Dallas, TX 75201 - Website: http://tracytimm.com/
- Phone: 469-737-0568
- Email: tracy@tracytimm.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thetracytimm/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thetracytimm/
- Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/thetracytimm
- Other: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC39AmmDmBZjBGUlI-xTyauA?view_as=subscriber
Image Credit:
Tracy Timm
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